Phin swallows nervously. It's almost as if the forest's growing darker... yet its colors are only growing more vibrant as we go. All around them are the bright, multicolored bodies of dormant Florae. It's like walking in a kaleidoscope - damn it! It's so disorienting! Phin thinks, gritting his teeth.
Despite the wilderness's exotic allure, an ominous dread creeps closer with every step forward. Subtly shuddering, Phin nestles himself within the safety of his Botanist allies - all of whom habitually venture this far out.
'We're approaching the Abyssal zone,' Willow announces. The Unit 00 Captain briefly glances at a map before continuing forward, leading the group. 'You guys know the drill - start looking out for instant aggros.'
Unit 00 complies in unison, efficiently dispersing around the perimeter. Phin, not having undergone proper training, stays by Willow's side.
I've never seen an instant aggro Flora before... Phin thinks. They must be hell for Botanists. These instantly aggressive Florae possess a rare trait that lets them bypass the Terrasuits' concealment magic.
'Phin, you'll be doing a lot more Appraisal work now - while you're here, we want to gather as much genetic data as we can,' Willow adds.
Phin nods. 'My stamina has definitely improved, but there's still a strain limit to how many I can perform. I think it was... at maximum five Grade IVs per hour.'
'That's definitely sufficient!' Willow beams. 'Our process is a bit slower because we greatly favor Florae with high potential.'
Not long after, a violent rustling noise echoes from behind, followed by a lone gunshot.
'That's our first one,' veteran Baukia Benedict says, scratching his beard. 'A bit strange. Usually instant aggros don't appear until well into Abyssal territory.'
'Indeed.' Willow nods, brushing her purple hair back. 'I might have a talk with Supreme Regal Nostreimos when we return.'
As the unit pushes onward, Phin's paranoia only grows. Every Flora, ranging from the size of an eraser to the the size of a bus, seems to be patiently coiled, waiting for its chance to strike.
Baukia chuckles at Phin's outward expression. 'You look shellshocked, Phin!' he notes. 'If you think these Florae are intimidating, you haven't seen nothin' yet.'
***
'Got it!' Phin huffs, furiously writing in his notebook.
[Cadaver-crest: Foetocrista putrescens]
| → Potential: (+) 24.6%
| → Encoding: ⊓⌬⊞⊎⌂⊏⊎⊙⊘⊐⊏⊐⊓⊙⊞⊐⊎
| → Greed Skill: [???]
| → Greed Mastery: [N/A]
That's another Grade IV down... I'm on a roll! He smiles to himself. Close interface.
The shimmering blue panel disappears, leaving only the mundane-looking Seed in his hand. Tsk. I really like this one, but Captain Shirasagi told me to save the stashing for Grade Vs and beyond. Phin tosses the Seed back onto the ground. Cadaver-crest Seeds are only useful after thorough industrial processing. In their raw form, they grant the consumer nothing but an unwavering stench lasting up to a week.
'Great work, unit! We're almost at the Tarnished Chasm already.' Willow stands ahead, waving at the rest.
A chill runs down Phin's spine. The Tarnished Chasm... the giant, unexplored underground cavern structure from which the Abyssal zone got its name. Even at surface level, its inhabited Florae are as powerful as Nightmare zone creatures... nobody knows what lurks at the heart of that hellhole.
The Tarnished Chasm runs for nearly a mile, forcing Botanists to take a route around it. As Phin follows Unit 00 forward, his mind lingers on the esoteric mysteries of the Tarnished Chasm. I can't believe I'll actually get to see it... he thinks. I've only ever experienced it as an element of folklore.
Soon, Unit 00 find themselves at a clearing. As they emerge from the tangled canopy and into the midday sun, an eerie hush befalls the group. Before them, a titanic rift divides the earth in two, jagged walls descending into oblivion. Several Florae sit perched near the edges, as if scaring off visitors with their dynamic colors and bold structures.
'This place radiates something sinister...' Phin quietly notes.
'First time here?' Baukia approaches the new Appraiser. Before them, the Chasm seems to rumble - as if beckoning them to enter.
Phin nods. 'Do you Botanists regularly train for this?'
'Not much. I was just as spooked as you when I first began. Back then, we had only begun to explore the Abyssal zone.' Baukia rummages through his equipment pack. 'I've simply been here more times than I can count - so in a way, this is my training.'
'Heh. Did someone mention the Tarnished Chasm?' Eri cuts in, a mischievous grin on her face. 'Phin, you wanna know a very hidden secret about that place?'
Baukia rolls his eyes. 'Don't mislead him with your crazy conspiracies, Miss Solthios. We don't want our cherished Flora Appraiser getting the wrong image.'
'Oh, hush. This isn't a conspiracy - it's fact,' Eri asserts. 'Botanists - not our unit - have found these strange totems lying within the Chasm. They've only ventured so deep, but they predict that there are many more.'
'So... what do those totems signify? And what do they look like?' Phin asks, oddly eager.
'See, Benny, he's interested!' she chuckles at Baukia, playfully referring to him by a shortened form of his surname. She turns to Phin, clasping her hands together. 'Alright, this is how it goes: many speculate the totems aren't human-made. Made of stone, they were noted to be in pristine condition - any human invention would have been trashed by such strong Florae over the years.'
Phin blanches. Eep... this is unsettling.
'But if not us, who built them? This is where it gets spicy. Some believe they're the work of the Godtrees, the only Florae intelligent enough to do such a thing.'
Huh...? No way... the Godtrees, the Florae that received the Void's gift of power. He tries and struggles to envision a tree using its roots and branches to intricately carve out stone statues. 'Seems possible, but I'm not fully trusting that theory,' Phin decides. 'Why don't we conduct more research there?'
Baukia smiles. 'The relative diversity of Florae in the Tarnished Chasm is so high that it's become impossible to devise intelligent plans preemptively. But that all changes with you. Once developed, your Appraisal skills can yield us groundbreaking genetic insights - likely allowing us to venture deeper.'
***
Something stirs.
A splatter of gold, a twinkle of trinkets.
A massive smile on soft brown skin.
'Greetings... my kingdom!'
Silence.
'That's right! Sing, my jewels!'